Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
I am seeing more butterflies this summer than I have in recent years. As I walk my property, I see monarchs, swallowtails, buckeyes, hackberry, painted ladies, cabbage whites, and more. This year I even saw a viceroy while mowing!...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
What is the best way to water plants? Community watering restrictions, rural water shortages, and high water costs sometimes require homeowners to make some tough decisions about outdoor water use. Here are ten wise watering tips for...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
A walk in the park or a scroll through Facebook quickly show how many people have cats and dogs. The American Pet Products Association estimated that approximately 44% of all households in the United States had a dog, and 35% had a...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Hundreds of minute, barbed bristles poked out of the bottom of my foot as Dad gently plucked each one away from my throbbing flesh. Our family was camping in Spring Lake State Park near Havana, Illinois one summer when I was about 10...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
If you love butterflies, you could also put in a butterfly garden habitat in your own yard. You don't need a lot of space to attract our native butterflies.
There are two different types of plants you can grow for butterflies:...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educatorRabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit!
Elmer Fudd from The Looney Tunes said it right, "Bugs Bunny?! You're a pesky wabbit!" I have replanted my tomato plants three times this spring. The first two times the plants were gone by...
Originally published in Home, Yard, and Garden Newsletter on 8-15-17 Japanese beetles and masked chafer adults are attracted to moist soils and, apparently, to green grass to lay their eggs. In years when rainfall is abundant,...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
Recently I had a friend ask me what the blue flowers were along the roadside. Have you noticed the beautiful flowers blooming along our roadsides right now? Illinois roadsides are quite beautiful in late summer.
She was referring to...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
I have several purple vegetables and herbs growing in my garden this summer.
Botanically, purple plants are fascinating to me. We all learn in science class that plants get their green color from the chlorophyll in their leaves,...
Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
The goldenrod is making a fantastic display this fall in my prairie and other unmown areas. I love watching the waves of gold sway on a sunny fall day.
Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) thrives in sun to part sun and is a deer-resistant...
